The annual Amherst Toyota Toy Drive has returned for 2017, teaming up once again with Sackville Christmas Cheer to help brighten up the holidays for families in need.

Donations will be collected during Dec. 8 Moonlight Madness

SACKVILLE, N.B. – Amherst Toyota is teaming up once again this year with Sackville Christmas Cheer to help brighten up the holidays for families in need.

Management and staff of the car dealership were on hand at the annual Moonlight Madness event Nov. 17 in Sackville and will also be at the upcoming one on Friday, Dec. 8, collecting toys for children of all ages. This is the fifth year Toyota has organized the toy drive for Sackville, with the donations collected here staying with the local Christmas Cheer program.

“We attend several events throughout the holiday season collecting toys, including both Sackville Moonlight Madnesses, the Amherst Christmas parade, the Springhill Christmas parade and the Oxford Christmas parade,” said Cheryl Estabrooks, an accounts payable clerk at Amherst Toyota. “We also usually have the toy truck at a couple of Amherst business locations.”

Estabrooks noted that, during the Nov. 17 Moonlight Madness in Sackville, two university students representing Thornton House at Mount Allison brought a load of toys to help fill up the truck. She said they had heard about the toy drive and took up a collection in residence, went toy shopping with the money collected and brought the toys to them on the Friday evening.

“It was so heart warming to see their enthusiasm and we would like to say a special thank you to them for their initiative in this project,” she said.

Amherst Toyota has also involved with Christmas for Kids in Cumberland County for the past seven years and decided a few years ago to outreach to Sackville, as well, since many of their staff members live in the community.

This year, the dealership has also put out a corporate challenge to other businesses in an attempt to get more community involvement.

The truck will be parked in front of Jean Coutu on Main Street during the Dec. 8 Moonlight Madness event. For more information on this year’s toy drive and how to donate, contact Estabrooks at cestabrooks@amhersttoyota.com